APPENDIX 1
PROMOTION CRITERIA MATRIX
July, 2015
NOTE: The following is intended to present examples of various levels of accomplishment in the areas of
teaching, research, clinical activity, scholarship and service. It is not exclusionary, but is intended to assist
faculty, department chairs and promotion committees in matching candidates’ accomplishments to the
promotion criteria. Moreover, areas frequently overlap in practice, although they are presented as distinct
entities here. It should also be noted that the matrix specifies just two categories, meritorious and excellent.
Professors will need to achieve excellence by a number of criteria. Associate professors will have met
fewer of these criteria or in not as great depth. The promotion process, and this matrix, are meant to
describe and reward continued professional growth and achievement.
TEACHING
Meritorious
Excellent
Active participation in teaching activities of the
department, school, campus or university,
including two or more of the following: presenting
a series of lectures covering one or more topics;
coordinating a course; acting as a primary
instructor in a course; advising or mentoring
students, residents or faculty; attending on an
inpatient or outpatient service; organizing or
facilitating a seminar series, journal clubs or
laboratory exercises; participating as a teacher in
continuing education activities.
Regularly assumes greater than average share of
teaching duties –in classroom, laboratory, clinical
or community settings.
Meritorious teaching evaluations from students
and peers.
Development or redevelopment of teaching
materials for students, continuing education
courses or other faculty training.
Record of successful mentorship of students,
residents, fellows or other faculty, as measured
by: letters of support from mentees; publications,
presentations, grants, awards or other evidence of
mentees’ academic success; evidence that
mentees have pursued outstanding careers.
Invitations to present Grand Rounds or seminars
here and at other institutions; invitations to present
courses outside of primary department.
Development of mentoring programs that focus on
career development or academic promotion of
students, residents, fellows or faculty.
Self-improvement activities (for example,
participation in workshops or courses that are
designed to improve teaching or mentoring
effectiveness).
Development of innovative teaching methods,
such as educational, websites, simulations,
videotapes, packaged courses or workshops, etc.
Participation as a mentor on a training grant.
Successful leadership of local, regional or national
continuing education courses.
Consistently receives outstanding teaching
evaluations or teaching awards.
Recognition as an outstanding and influential role
model for students, fellows, residents or other
trainees.
TEACHING (continued)
Meritorious
Excellent
Consistent participation in national educational
activities (for example, residency review
committees, programs sponsored by professional
organizations, re-certification courses or
workshops).
Invitations to be a visiting professor at other
institutions.
Development of innovative courses, high-quality
syllabi, novel lectures, problem-based learning
cases, laboratory exercises or other instructional
materials.
Demonstration of educational leadership (for
example, by serving as a course, fellowship or
training program director or assistant dean).
Evidence of teaching scholarship (for example,
research, grants, publications or national
presentations that focus on understanding the
best methods, or outcomes, of teaching).
Completion of advanced faculty development
programs that result in a certificate or degree in
education, with evidence that the faculty member
has applied these new skills or knowledge to
improve his or her teaching or pedagogy.
CLINICAL ACTIVITY
Meritorious
Active and effective participation in clinical
activities of the academic unit.
Board certification.
Excellent
Regularly assumes greater than average share of
clinical duties, as measured by patient care or
procedure logs, RVUs, clinical billing statistics or
other measures of clinical effort.
Demonstration of clinical skills that are highly
effective (e.g., mastery of important clinical
techniques, high degree of patient satisfaction,
evidence of high quality and efficient patient care).
Continuing, significant participation for an extended
period of time in clinical activities that are highly
effective.
Support from peers at the site of practice.
Development of new techniques, therapies, clinical
guidelines, patient care practices or health care
delivery systems that have improved the health of
patients or populations.
Invitations to speak on clinical topics on campus,
or participation on institutional clinical care
committees.
Active participation in activities that promote
health care quality and patient safety.
Completion of self-improvement activities (for
example, participation in workshops or continuing
medical education activities that are designed to
improve knowledge or clinical skills).
Creative, active participation in the evaluation of the
effectiveness of care (quality, outcomes, patient
safety, utilization, access, cost).
Recognition for excellence in clinical activity at the
local, regional, national or international level
through letters of reference, honors, awards,
institutional evaluations, invitations to speak,
requests to write reviews, etc.
Demonstration of effective leadership at the site of
clinical practice – e.g., director of a clinical service,
head of a division, chair of a department, head of
an interdisciplinary team that creates and manages
a clinical pathway and outcomes evaluation,
medical staff president.
Assumption of a substantive leadership role at the
regional level – e.g., chairing committees, or
serving as officer of local or statewide professional
organizations.
Assumption of a substantive leadership role at the
national or international level - e.g., chairing
national symposia and meetings, chairing
committees or serving as officer of national
professional organizations, journal editor.
Leadership of structured activities that promote
quality of care and patient safety and that advance
the science and practice of health care quality
improvement.
CLINICAL ACTIVITY (continued)
Excellent
Participation in significant self-assessment
activities and audits of one’s own practice that
have led to improvements in quality, efficiency or
outcomes of care.
Significant involvement in health care advocacy,
community service or other activities that shape
public policy on health care or that address health
disparities.
Evidence of health care-related scholarship (for
example, grants, publications, authoritative review
articles, national presentations, innovations or
other activities that advance the science and
practice of health care quality improvement.)
RESEARCH
Meritorious
Excellent
Authorship of papers in peer-reviewed journals
that demonstrate the ability to generate and test
hypotheses and represent a significant
contribution to the published literature.
A consistent level of peer-reviewed or other
funding for research awarded in a competitive
manner over a sustained period of time.
Co-investigator status on grants.
Demonstrated evidence of originality as an
investigator.
A principal and sustained role in the management
of a research program with external funding.
Demonstration of significant independent
intellectual contributions to successful research
programs.
Development of patents for discoveries.
Principal investigator status on competitive peerreviewed research grants (for example: R03 or
R21 awards or mentored K08 or K23 awards from
NIH or private foundations for associate
professors; R01, P01 or other independent awards
for professors).
Presentations at national meetings; invited
research seminars at this and other institutions;
service as an ad hoc member on study sections.
Development of a significant number of patents.
An ongoing, peer-reviewed publication record with
first- or senior-author publications.
A national or international reputation, as
evidenced by: external letters of reference;
invitations to present at national or international
meetings; invitations to write reviews or chapters,
or to provide unique expertise as a collaborator on
a research project; visiting professorships; service
on as a regular member on study sections;
organization of national meetings; service as a
national consultant or on editorial boards of
journals.
SERVICE
Meritorious
Excellent
Service on committees or task forces within the
program, division, department, school, campus or
university.
Regularly assumes greater than average share of
administrative responsibilities, including service to
the School, University, professional discipline or
community.
Service to local, state, national or international
organizations through education, consultation or
other roles.
Appointment to leadership positions within the
institution, such as: chair of a committee; faculty
officer; program director; course or curriculum
director; academic clinical coordinator; or
membership on major decision-making School of
Medicine or Anschutz Medical Campus
committees.
Service as an officer or committee chair in clinical,
educational, scientific or nonprofit organizations.
Significant involvement in health care advocacy,
community service or outreach, community-based
participatory research programs, or other activities
that shape public policy on health care or that
address health disparities.
Leadership of activities or programs that address
challenges in education, such as workforce
diversity, training of scientists, assessment of
competencies or learning outcomes, mentorship,
professionalism or educational technology.
Service as an article reviewer for clinical,
educational or scientific journals.
Service as a member of a scientific study section,
or service as an editor or editorial board member
of a professional or scientific journal.
Appointment to leadership positions dealing with
scientific, health care or educational issues at the
local, state, regional, national or international
levels.
Service awards from the University or from a local,
national, or international organization (civic,
scientific or professional).
SCHOLARSHIP --- REVISED 7-25-2014
While this Scholarship Matrix is not yet formally approved and an official part of the Rules of the School
of Medicine, it reflects the approved definitions of scholarship and can be used at this time for dossier
preparation.
This section of the Promotion Matrix presents examples of the scholarship of discovery, teaching,
integration and application. The Matrix specifies only two categories (“meritorious” and “excellent”). The
line between “meritorious” and “excellent” scholarship may not be easy to define; however, excellence in
scholarship generally signifies a higher level of accomplishment and implies that the work meets one or
more of the following tests: Recognition: the work is recognized as excellent by peers; Impact and
importance: it has contributed to an improved understanding of the discipline; Coherence: the
publications, innovative curricula or other scholarly products represent a coherent body of work; and
Creative Leadership: There is evidence of creativity and leadership by the faculty member.
There may be considerable overlap between scholarship and other areas of faculty accomplishment
(teaching, clinical activity and service). However, as defined in the Rules, “the products of all
scholarship must be in a format that can be evaluated, which would normally mean a written format, but
could include web-based or electronic formats.”
SCHOLARSHIP OF DISCOVERY
The “scholarship of discovery” refers to traditional, hypothesis-driven research that results in
the generation of new knowledge. Successful “discovery scholarship” usually results in peerreviewed scientific publications.
Meritorious
Serves as a collaborator in a basic science,
clinical, translational or other research program.
Authorship or co-authorship of papers in peerreviewed journals that demonstrate the ability to
generate and test hypotheses and represent a
significant contribution to the published literature.
Co-investigator status on grants
A principal and sustained role in the management
of a research program with external funding.
Service as an ad hoc reviewer or member of an
editorial board for a medical or scientific journal.
Excellent
Designs and directs a basic science, clinical,
translational or other research program and plays a
major role in writing up the results.
Has an ongoing record of first- or senior-author
publications in peer-reviewed journals that: a)
represent significant contributions to the published
literature; b) demonstrate the ability to generate and
test hypotheses; and c) demonstrate originality and
independence as an investigator or represent
significant independent intellectual contributions to
successful research programs.
A consistent level of peer-reviewed or other funding
for research awarded in a competitive manner over
a sustained period of time.
Principal investigator status on competitive peerreviewed research grants (for example: R03 or R21
awards or mentored K08 or K23 awards from NIH or
private foundations for associate professors; R01,
P01 or other independent awards for professors).
Development of a significant number of patents.
Service as an editor or section editor for a medical
or scientific journal (Include a written summary of
the faculty member’s activities and contributions to
the success of the journal).
Service as a regular member on scientific study
sections.
Facilitates the research programs of the SOM
through substantive contributions to COMIRB (or
the COMIRB Scientific Advisory CommitteeSARC), which must include: regular attendance at
meetings over at least a three-year period; active
and effective participation in discussions; review
and presentations of protocols to the committee;
and a demonstrated understanding of key topics
(e.g. informed consent, risk assessment,
protection of vulnerable populations, adverse
event reporting or waivers of informed consent).
Additional aspects of COMIRB service that may
be considered evidence of meritorious scholarship
may include: mentoring of new COMIRB members
in the elements of proper review and presentation
of protocols; active participation in COMIRB
“education days;” training of SOM clinical
investigators in techniques of protocol writing; and
serving as a positive spokesperson for COMIRB
service. A supporting letter from the Director of
COMIRB is required.
SCHOLARSHIP OF APPLICATION
The “scholarship of application” includes activities that build bridges between theory and
practice or that apply knowledge to practical problems. Examples include development of new
medical treatment modalities, clinical care pathways, or other activities that address community
health care needs, that shape public policy on health care or that that promote quality of care and
patient safety and advance the science and practice of health care quality improvement.
Active participation in activities that promote
Leadership of projects that have improved the
health care quality, cost-efficiency, access or
quality of care, cost-efficiency, access, or patient
patient safety within the institution (Provide
safety locally, nationally or internationally (Provides
documentation of interventions and outcomes)
documentation of interventions and outcomes).
Co-authorship of articles, policy reports or other
A record of multiple publications related to clinical
publications related to clinical or health services
or health services topics, which may include clinical
topics.
trials, investigative reports, case studies, policy
reports or other publications that have advanced
the science and practice of health care quality
improvement.
Articles, white papers or other products of
scholarship that focus on health care advocacy,
community service or other activities that shape
public policy on health care or that address health
disparities.
Other evidence of clinical scholarship (for example,
research, authoritative review articles, grants,
contributions to clinical information systems,
publications or national presentations) that promote
health care quality or patient safety or that advance
the science and practice of health care quality
improvement.
Development of new techniques, therapies, clinical
guidelines, patient care practices or health care
delivery systems that have improved the health of
patients or populations.
SCHOLARSHIP OF INTEGRATION
The “scholarship of integration” (horizontal scholarship) includes creative synthesis or
analyses that define “connections across disciplines” or bring new insights to bear on original
research. The scholarship of integration seeks to interpret, analyze and draw together the
results of the original research. Review articles and book chapters are examples of the
scholarship of integration.
Co-authorship of articles integrating knowledge in
Consistent record of senior-author review or other
a field and assessing overall value of discoveries
scholarly products; these reviews or other
in relationship patient care, teaching or other
integrative works represent a major body of
areas.
scholarship that provides a demonstrable national
or international reputation.
Publication of review articles, book chapters, case
series or other reports that integrate knowledge
and put new discoveries into perspective.
SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING
The “scholarship of teaching” focuses on the development of new teaching methods,
assessments of learning outcomes and preparation and dissemination of highly effective
curricula or other instructional materials.
Improvement or expansion of an existing course
Development of innovative courses, high-quality
or curriculum.
syllabi, novel lectures, problem-based learning
cases, laboratory exercises or other instructional
materials.
Development of innovative teaching methods, such
as educational websites, simulations, videotapes,
packaged courses or workshops, etc.
A strong record of first- or senior-author
publications in health professions education.
Other evidence of teaching scholarship (for
example, research, grants or national presentations
that focus on understanding the best methods, or
outcomes, of teaching).
Facilitates the educational programs of the SOM
through ongoing and substantive contributions to
the Student Admissions Committee, Participation
must include submission of end-of-year reports
reflecting on knowledge and insights gained from
admissions committee meetings and applicant
interviews or discussion of applicant recruitment,
measures of applicant readiness, premed
advising, pipeline activities, class diversity or
other relevant challenges and topics. A
supporting letter from the Associate Dean for
Admissions is required.